July 19, 2013 - Coming Home!

After not going to bed until at least 2:00 and having to wake up at 6:00 to be downstairs in the lobby ready for the cab, I was a bit tired. I went downstairs at 6:15. The cabs were already there and the guy started loading my luggage in without even asking me anything first. Then he was like are you ready? Uh no sir I'm not paying for a cab to the airport all by myself. Jess and Shelby came down and he loaded their stuff in and we took off. We were even supposed to wait for Cassidy but the guy was in a hurry so we just left. He was a crazy driver and the whole time we were praying to not die. He dropped us off at terminal three. Jena, Lora, and Cassidy met us there. We went inside and started to check in when they informed us that we were at the wrong terminal - we needed to be at terminal five. So we got on a shuttle and got to terminal five. We walked in and Stephen, Tayler, and Brandon had already checked in and were about to go through security because they thought that we had already gone through. We went down and stood in line. I got up to the lady and weighed my luggage. I was at 25kg. She had me unpack and put stuff in my carry-on. Then for the first time in history, she weighed my freaking carry-on! That has never happened! Carry-ons are supposed to be 8kg, my was at 18kg. She said you're going to have to check this bag. I asked if there was any other option and she said afraid not. I of course freak out and start bawling, call Jena over. The lady said that it'll cost 70 euros/$91. I had about $15 left in my bank account so Jena covered me because she's a freaking saint. Then the f-ing lady weighed my freaking backpack!!! What the hell?!? I have never had any problems with any American airports or airlines. But of course this happens to me. She made me take stuff out of my backpack and put it with my carry-on which was already paid for. It was the most ridiculous thing. We waited for everyone to check in, I'm bawling because I'm so pissed. That and Jess was at like 27kg and the lady just made her put on her rain boots! Why the heck do I get stuck with all the retarded airline people?! We went through security, found our gate, and I just sat there in misery. I got a coke (no Dr. P of course) and a donut. We sat around for a while because our plane was late. We finally boarded. We said goodbye to Jess and Shelby - their flight was at 11:00. We got on the plane. We thought we were flying Delta, but no we were flying Airitalia or something like that. We walked on and they hadn't cleaned the plane from the last people so it smelled and there was garbage and stuff everywhere. Stephen freaking stepped on a razor blade! He had his shoes on so it didn't hurt him but still! We sat down. I was sitting next to Jena and this lady who was from Algeria that didn't speak any English and her daughter. She kept trying to talk to me and I was just like obviously I can't understand you... I tried to sleep but that didn't really work. I blogged for a bit but I had forgotten to charge my iPad and my laptop the night before so they both died. They fed us twice on the flight - nastiest airplane food I have ever had! I got the lasagna and it was like a mix between chicken pot pie and lasagna that was microwaved. Yuck! I didn't eat it. Then later on they gave us a piece of bread with like some cheese and weird spinach stuff on top and a piece of fruit cake... gross. When I fell asleep one time, I woke up and my flip flop had fallen off my left foot. I looked around and couldn't find it but I didn't think too much of it - there was still like six hours left of the flight and it can't have gone far. I just listened to music on my phone and played games. Towards the end, Jena and I played a few card games. We landed in Chicago around 4:00. We got off the plane, went through customs and passport control, and had to go get our luggage because it wasn't transferred straight to Salt Lake. It was so nice being on American soil again where almost everyone speaks English! We had to wait forever to get our luggage but finally got it. We checked it in and thankfully they didn't weigh it again and I didn't have to pay again. We went through security and got to the gate. Starbucks was conveniently right next to our gate. I got a vanilla bean with caramel, an bagel, and a cinnamon twist - don't judge me. I charged my phone and was actually able to call my momma!!! It was wonderful! 'MURICA! We got on the plane. It was much smaller and it was actually Delta so the flight attendants were so nice and they gave us drinks and were just wonderful haha I sat by Lora and Jena. We played cards to stay awake for a while but I slept for the last hour. We got into Salt Lake at 7:00. We got off the plane, went to baggage claim, and I got to see my family from the escalator for the first time in six weeks! It was so wonderful to see them! I missed them so much! They're amazing. It was my mom and dad, Al, and CJ along with an American balloon and a monkey in a diaper - uh? We got my luggage, I said goodbye for now to everyone and gave hugs, then we got in the car and headed home. I told them a bunch of stories about what we did and the people I met and everything. We got home and they had made me a sign - by "they" I mean Al, CJ, the Elders, Cory, and Chase haha it had Harry Potter, a leprechaun, Big Ben, the Colosseum, a penis artfully turned into an elephant, haha it was good to be home. I unpacked and gave everyone their presents. CJ loved his kilt and ran around screaming, "Feast your eyes!" haha he better enjoy it, it was the weight that made me pay all that freaking money. It was so nice to be home and be in my room. I unpacked, Amanda came over, along with new friends of the family - Ben and Shirey, the guy my mom picked up at UCCU - it's a long, weird story. We got in the hot tub which was wonderful, hung out for a bit, then I finally got to go to bed around 11:00. My bed is so wonderful. It's so good to be home. I'm so grateful for this trip, for the places and things I saw, for the friends I've made, for the things I've learned, for a wonderful six weeks! Loves!

July 18, 2013 – The Borghese Gallery and the Beach – My Last Day in Europe

Today was a bittersweet yet wonderful day. I have had the time of my life on this trip. I have never met so many different people, I have never lived in another country, and I’ve never even lived anywhere but home with my parents. I have never had roommates (unless you count my sisters), I have never lived in an apartment, I have never had to share a bathroom with so many people. I have been to London but I didn’t experience the city, the people, the culture the way I did this time over the course of five weeks. It was very hard at times. I missed my family, my friends, my bed, regular food, familiarity, just home. But it was also so amazing. I think my top five days (if I would have to choose) would be Disneyland Paris, the Wild Wicklow Tour in Dublin, Harry Potter/Les Mis, the day we went to St. Paul’s and the London Eye, and today at the beach. I had never met really any of the people I came here with. I had no friends, I had connected with a few but nowhere near comfortable. After spending literally all my time with these people for six weeks, I can truly say I have met some of the most amazing people. They made me laugh, cry, think, imagine, love. They supported me, they loved me, they helped me through the homesickness and my crazy emotional episodes, they helped me grow into the person I am today. I have experienced more with these people than I have with most and that friendship will never grow old. I would especially like to thank Jena, Kasee, and Sam along with a shout out to Stephen and Brandon (don’t feel bad if you are reading this and not getting a special thanks or whatever – I love you all and am so blessed to have met you all!). First of all, Jena is absolutely amazing. She is our program assistant which obviously comes with a lot of responsibility. I could come to her with anything – family, money, personal, or emotional problems and I know that she would help me get through it no matter what. She was the most mature yet knew how to have fun and enjoy the time we spent together. I am so grateful for her and for all she did for me and our group. She is truly amazing. Next, Kasee is absolutely incredible. At our first meeting, I felt like she was a really nice fun girl. I was kind of a creep and messaged her on Facebook, told her I had a good feeling about her, and asked her if she would be ok rooming together. She messaged back and said she was just going to say the same thing! Ok seriously this girl is so incredible. She made me laugh so hard, she experienced me at Disneyland so there’s that haha she let me cry on her shoulder, she helped me through problems, and we just experienced so much together. She has such a strong testimony, I know she strengthened mine whenever we discussed spiritual experiences and such. I mean she goes to BYU but she isn’t the typical BYU-er. She is so beautiful and made me feel so good about myself and always made things better with her positive attitude. I love her so much and can’t wait for a lifetime of friendship with her. Alright Sammie! This girl kills me haha I feel like we are so similar. She loves the Yanks so we were already tight. She always makes me laugh. We both went through hard times but we helped each other get through them. She is hilarious with all of her naming inanimate objects and her “Da H!” or “Calm your swan” haha everything was more fun with Sammie around. I love this girl and can’t wait to hang out with her at home. Ok Stephen and Brandon. These guys are seriously the best. First of all, they are both SO talented! Brandon has an amazing singing voice. He sounds like Josh Groban, even looks like him, but he is also his own person and deserves recognition for his voice, not sounding like Josh. He truly is amazing. I could listen to him sing all day. He is one of the nicest people I have ever met. He always keeps things positive and never has anything bad to say about anyone. Stephen also has an incredible voice so when they sing together it’s even better. If they sang Hallelujah to me all day, every day, that’d be great. Stephen is so talented in so many ways. He’s hilarious, an incredible writer, and the way he feels about his new fiancé blows me away – he is so freaking cute with Tayler, you can tell that he loves her so much. These guys made me feel so safe all the time. I remember in Dublin when we were eating at Eddie Rocket’s, it was getting dark and Stephen came in and asked to walk us back to the hostel because he was worried about us. How freaking cute is that?!? They are incredible guys and I can’t wait to make pina coladas with Stephen’s cool pineapple peeler and drink them in the hot tub! Everyone on this trip made me feel welcome, loved, and happy. I truly had the time of my life on this trip. I went to some incredible places, saw some amazing things, and experienced those with wonderful people. These people will always hold a special place in my heart and I can’t wait to catch back up at home.

However, I am VERY excited to be going home. I am so close with my family and not being able to see them every day or even talk to them every day was very hard for me. I am so grateful for them and all that they do for me. My mom and dad are the shiz! They have always pushed traveling and exploring the world because they know that we are here on this earth for a reason and that we need to see, learn, and do as much as we can while we are here. I’m so so so grateful for their help, for their support, and for their love. I have missed my family and friends so much and can’t wait to see them! Al and Jess, I better be getting a sign because I made you guys awesome signs… just saying… I have loved this trip but I am ready to go home and continue on with life. My thing throughout the whole trip was that I just wish my family was here to see everything and experience everything with me. That was true for most of the trip but now I miss the familiarity of my bubble in Orem, Utah and of home. This has been a wonderful, life changing experience that I wouldn’t change for the world.

Anyway, moving on to what happened today! We woke up at 9:00 and got ready. We had to wear our swim suits under our clothes because we were going to the beach!!! I packed a backpack with towels and stuff we would need then we had breakfast and headed to the Spanish Steps. We were meeting everyone up at the Bourgesi a few hours later so we had time to wander around. We walked around trying to find an ATM and stuff. We grabbed something to eat at McDonalds – I just got a coke. We hung out for a bit then started the trek up to the Bourgesi. We walked up the Spanish Steps and then ended up walking the wrong way so we turned around. The gallery was really kind of far away and walking uphill with a twisted ankle isn’t very fun. Also, it was freaking hot. I don’t think I’ve sweated or been that hot my entire life. It was awful, but hey it’s Rome! We finally got to the Gallery. Ok so I’m not the biggest art buff but this gallery actually included Bernini’s Apollo and Daphne and The Rape of Persephone!!! I was dying! I had learned so much about them in my mythology classes and it was so cool to see them in person and stuff. Ah so amazing! I walked around for a bit and checked out the other paintings and sculptures there. Then we all got our stuff and headed back to the metro. I was in the middle of the group and I was trying to keep up with my ankle so nobody had to stop and wait for me and such. We got to the metro, got on, then off at Termini. We then went to the actual train area, looked around for a bit, then bought tickets and got on the train. We had lost Cassidy, Kasee, and Brandon and were hoping to meet up with them at the beach. The train smelled like giraffe’s and was so freaking hot and gross. I got to sit down most of the ride which was nice. We got off in Sperlonga, then took a bus to the spot where it dropped us off for the beach. We had to walk down quite a bit to get there but we finally made it! It was so beautiful! We rented umbrellas, undressed, put freaking sunscreen on (this is something I never do but I didn’t want to be miserable on the plane ride home tomorrow so I put some on…) and finally made it into the water! It was so wonderful! It was so hot outside and the water was the perfect temperature. We floated around for a bit then we were starving so we got out and ordered food at the little stand. I got lasagna (it was microwaved…) and pineapple. They had sliced the pineapple into fourths then gave me the shell and everything. Ok by far this was the best pineapple I’ve ever had! The juice was dripping down my chin, it was so good. We finished eating then headed back into the water. I took a ton of pictures of everyone and we just had a wonderful time. Shelby, Sam, and I went up to the umbrella to get some sun and these Italian guys came over and started flirting with us, well mostly Sam and Shelby – they like the blonds. Pretty soon we had like nine Italian guys surrounding us. They were all really nice and funny, however, not very attractive…  they were skinny and hairy and wearing nasty speedos. It was hilarious! They told Missy that her eyes shown bright like the sun – uh?! And then Shelby broke the news to them that she is engaged and they said your fiancé is a lucky man, you’re so beautiful! Haha it was so funny. We got back in the water and just played around for a bit. Tayler started screaming something crazy flailing her arms in the air and we finally figured out what it was – Cassidy, Brandon, and Kasee had finally made it! We thought that something had gone wrong and they had just turned back. Well something had gone wrong  - Cassidy’s wallet was stolen on the metro. She had 60 euros, her license, and her cards in there. Thankfully she didn’t have her passport in there. They went through the big ordeal trying to find the police station and stuff but they finally made it. I felt really bad, not only for Cassidy, but for Kasee and Brandon too. We played around for a bit and around 7:30, we had to head back up in order to make the last bus. So we packed up, dried and washed off, then headed back up to wear the bus picked us up. Thankfully the sand and water had really helped my ankle so that was nice. We got up there and got some gelato – white and milk chocolate, yum! We got on the bus, went back to the train station, got on the train, and for some reason, it took us forever to get back to Termini – the train was taking forever! But hey, we had a cabin just to ourselves and we talked about boys and stuff on the way home so it was fun to get to know everyone better and enjoy our last night together.  We got on the metro and went back to the hotel. Kasee and Sam were doing the after trip so they had to say goodbye to everyone. We went upstairs to our room and I showered and packed. Stephen, Tayler, Brandon, and Jena came to say goodbye and hung out for a bit. Then Shelby and Jess came down to use our wifi haha I got all packed up and went to bed. It was such a fun day! Yes we did have some trouble traveling and getting to the places we needed to be but once we got there, it was amazing! Rome has rocked and I’ve made some awesome memories. I can’t wait to go home tomorrow though! Loves! See you tomorrow!!!

July 17, 2013 – Crypts, Trevi Fountain, Ankle Twister, Pizza, Pasta, and Cool Experiences

Today was a tiring but amazing day. I woke up around 8:00, got ready, then we went down and I grabbed a chocolate croissant which was amazing. We then headed towards the Trevi Fountain! On the way, we stopped at the Capuchin Crypts. They had a modesty code but thankfully I was somewhat modest today due to my sunburn so I got to go in. It started out with a museum with creepy paintings of monks and stuff. Then you enter the Crypts and there are just tons of designs using human bodies. There were a ton of monks’ bodies exhumed for some reason and a guy felt like they could be put to better use in a more respectful way. So he took the 3700 bodies and made designs out of the bones. It was really creepy but cool. We waited for everyone to come out then headed to the Trevi Fountain! Of course it’s cool and beautiful. We took lots of pictures. When I was trying to get a picture of me throwing my coins in, this freaking Asian lady literally sat on me because I was apparently in HER way… ya ok! We finally got them and then got gelato with a guy supposedly known as the Gelato Nazi. He was actually pretty nice. I got strawberry, peach, and pineapple. As we were headed to the Pantheon, I tripped in a hole (what is with me and holes?!) and twisted my ankle. I sat on this curb and Rick ran to get me a wrap while Kasee iced it. I felt so bad because everyone was just standing there waiting for me and I was like guys I’ve been here, you can go without me and then they were like oh ya Chels we are going to leave you with a twisted ankle in the middle of Rome… We wrapped it and headed on our way. We walked through some cool streets with old ruins and stuff. I love how much history and awesomeness Rome holds even in their alleys. We got to the Pantheon and walked around, sat down inside. We met at the fountain and then headed to a few more of Bernini’s (he did the Trevi) sculptures. Then a few of us went to this cat sanctuary (ya I shouldn’t have gone, it was weird…). They have these old ruins that no one is allowed on except cats. Then you can go into a little shop where they just have cats everywhere and stuff. Blech. Moving on, we walked down and had some awesome pizza! Then I headed back to the hotel with Mis, Tex, and Camille. I took a nap and just hung out. At 7:00, we met everyone downstairs. Jena and everyone was going out for her birthday but we were still full from the pizza and we wanted to go eat at this place Sam’s friend told her about by the Trevi so a few of us split off. On our way to the Trevi, we stopped at little stores and street markets. A few of the girls bought purses. Jess was pissed because she talked the guy down from 55 euro to 40 for a fake prada purse. Then Sam and Kas get theirs for 20 and Jess was like well shit! Then Shelby got hers for 10. The guys that sell those are just hilarious. Every time a cop even drives by, they run away with all of their things because apparently their illegal. It’s so funny. We were looking at these fake Rayban’s and a cop drove by and he just took off with us holding the sunglasses and we were like uh we could totally take these but we are good Mormon girls! We walked around trying to find the restaurant and finally found it. We got cokes, bruscetta, I got a four cheese and cream pasta that was just like fettuccini alfredo but so awesome and some tiramisu of course. The waiter was hilarious – when Sam was braiding her hair to get it out of the way, he came up and finished braiding it for her. There were also some really awesome people next to us. He asked us to take a picture for him and he took one for us. Then he asked us about the church. It was one of those amazing spontaneous situations that are just so amazing! He was a very staunch Catholic but he was still asking us questions. He didn’t even know the LDS church was an actual religion – he thought we were just Amish or polygamists. Sam and Kasee were the ones that really talked to them because they were sitting close to them but they did such a good job handling the situation. It’s hard to talk about the church because everything is so intricate and you don’t know where to begin and everything. It was just so cool. He was really respectful and told us about Catholicism. He asked us about drinking and smoking (while he was doing both) and it was just such a cool experience! We had to leave because the metro was closing. On the way, we all just talked about how cool of an experience we had and we got all spiritual and stuff haha such a fun night spending time with them and bonding. I hope everyone is doing well and I’ll see you in two days! Love you! 

July 16, 2013 – Colosseo, Forums, Heat, and Rome Life at Night

I couldn't fall asleep last night until like 2:30, probably because I took a nap yesterday. I woke up around 8:15 and got ready. We went down to breakfast. I had some toast with honey and a chocolate croissant. We then all headed to the metro to go to the Colosseum! Since I had been there before, it was nothing new really but I still love it! It’s so amazing to me the history and the amazing architecture that has lasted this long. We walked around, took a bunch of pictures, checked out the gift shop, went outside and took pictures of the exterior. We got a slushie which hit the spot because it was so freaking hot already and It was only like 11:00 in the morning. We met back up with everyone and then went to the Palantine Hill ruins and walked around. We took breaks in the shade a lot because it was so hot. It’s super nice that they have the water fountains everywhere to fill up water bottles and such. We walked through the forums and then walked down and grabbed some lunch. I split a chicken sandwich and some Pringles with Cassidy which was pretty good. I got a gelato and we just chilled. We met back up with everyone at 2:00 and just walked around the ruins some more, saw the Trajan Column which we saw a copy of in the V&A in London. Then a bunch of us headed back to the hotel. We stopped at the grocery store on the way and got coke and chocolate. Sam and Kas had stayed behind so I had to be let in to my room because I thought they had the key. I jumped in the shower and just stood there because it felt so good. Apparently Jess and Shelby knocked on my door and when I came out to get my clothes, they all walked in and got mad at me because turns out Kas and Sam left the key at the front desk. Oh well. Stephen and Tayler came down to give us something and told us they were engaged!!! He did it at the fountain down the street from our hotel and was just really cute! I'm so happy for them. I love them and they are the cutest together. Anyway, I got dressed and ready then we all just kind of hung out, facebooked, did pictures, and stuff. At 7:00, I met Jess and Shelby downstairs for dinner. It turns out that you have to have a group of at least 8 people to eat at the hotel. So we just went out to get pizza with Sam and Kas. The pizza place we went to was weird – they had a bunch of weird kinds with like potatoes and stuff but no cheese or pepperoni… and I was feeling a little heat stroke – I got sunburnt pretty bad and we were out in the sun like all day so it makes sense. But I wasn’t feeling too hot so I just didn’t get any pizza. After they finished, we found a gelato place. I, of course, got gelato. I got tiramisu and caramel and it was super yummy. We then got on the metro and went back to the Colosseum to see it all lit up and stuff at night. We took tons of pictures and just had a good time. We asked these guys to take a group picture of us and they did. Then we took a group picture of them. They were from Alaska and were really nice. We walked around a bit, took more pictures. Around 9:30, we headed back to the hotel. I’m blogging and going to bed because I’m super tired. I hope everyone had a wonderful day and I’ll see you on Friday!  

July 15, 2013 - The Vatican, Ravioli, Nap Time, Dinner Time, and Bed Time

Hello everyone! Oh by the way, the Harry Potter post with probably have to wait until I get home because it's going to be freaking awesome! Anyway, today we woke up around 8:00, got ready, went down for breakfast at like 8:45, then headed to the Vatican! It's actually pretty close to our hotel so we just walked. Turns out Rick thought it would take longer so our appointment wasn't until 11:30 so we just walked around, tried to find an ATM and got gelato. We were sitting on these stairs and this guy came over and tried to sell us scarves because you aren't allowed into the Vatican (or certain parts) if your shoulders and knees aren't covered. We had brought cardigans or scarves so we kept saying no no we are good, we have stuff to cover. So then he went through us all and told us the parts of our body that were being immodest - uh thanks! Plus he came back like two more times and bugged us. We finally met up with the group and got in! We met up with our tour guide and got our headsets. We then walked through the museums, she told us about the Sistine Chapel because you can't talk inside. I had already been there so this was still cool but kinda blah at the same time. We walked through the gardens and the museums.

We walked through rooms painted by Raphael. We sat in the Sistine Chapel for a while. Sooo cool! We headed over to St. Peter's and I showed everyone the creepy popes lying in their see-through coffins. We walked around for a bit then we walked down by our hotel to find something to eat. We were wanting to eat at like 3:00-4:00 but everyone was only serving like pasta. We got two choices - ravioli or lasagna. I chose ravioli. We had some bread and water and some nasty salad. The ravioli was pretty good - they gave us three huge raviolis. The lasagna was good too. It turns out it was more expensive than we were expecting but oh well. We went back to the hotel and showered and took a little nap. We woke up and went downstairs for dinner. We had pasta, steak stew and peas, fries, and gelato. Yum! We then came upstairs and just hung out. Hope everyone had a wonderful day! See you soon! Loves!

July 13, 2013 - Portobello and Packing and July 14, 2013 - Getting to Rome, Baths of Caracalla, Circus Maximus, the Mouth of Truth, and Dinner in Italy!

We woke up at 9:55 and ran down to Rick's flat for the Italy meeting. We just talked about transportation and what we are doing. We went upstairs and got ready for the day. We then all met up and went to Portobello road and market! It was really cool, really really busy, probably because it was a Saturday. Plus it was freaking hot! But it was really fun. We just walked around all the little shops and booths. I got a really cool Frank Sinatra record! The guy that sold them to us was really cool and nice. He had some awesome Beatles ones. We walked around for a bit, browsed. We were hungry but we couldn't find an ATM that worked or took out less than £80. So we just got a water than headed back to Gloucester and ate a a pub, our last pub! I got lasagna and water. We then went back to kings cross and went to the 9 3/4 shop for Sam to get a t-shirt. We then headed home and began packing! All four of us were packing at the same time so our room was ridiculous, crap everywhere you couldn't even move. I started pretty well but I had a few freak out moments because it actually became real that we were leaving and packing sucks. I called my mom freaking out a few times over the weight and stuff. She helped calm me down and told me if we had to pay extra we could. I was determined not to however. I finally finished and all my flatmates said it wasn't very heavy, they guessed like 40 pounds so I guess we'll find out! We went to Waitrose and I bought £38 worth of chocolate! Hopefully it all fits and doesn't melt. We came home and finished packing and then just chilled. We cleaned the kitchen, got rid of most of the food, finished all the dishes. It was really weird cleaning out my home for five weeks. I showered and then we decided to stay up all night because it'll be easier. It was so freaking hot in the flat that we all just sat there baking. Anna drew portraits of us which was cool. I put a ton of pics on Facebook of Harry Potter! I got everything all settled and ready to go. We finished cleaning everything up, stripped our beds, and headed down with all of our luggage at 3:30 in the morning. We took all the trash down and we got on the bus. The bus driver had put my backpack in the deck below so I grabbed it and he was like you taking that on the bus? I said yes... He said make sure you strap it in and stuff because if we stop suddenly it'll go flying. I was like oh ya um ok! I'll strap my backpack in and not even me... Anyway, it was a bit of a ride to the airport so I fell asleep. We went inside, checked in, and stood in the line to check in our baggage. I was so worried about my suitcase and it being overweight, standing in line didn't make that stress and anxiety better... I finally made it to a check in thing. I went up to the lady and was like ok hopefully this works and I'm not too full! I put it on the scale and it was 25.1 KG when you're only allowed 23. I was praying she would just put a sticker on it and put it through but with my luck at airports, of course not! She was like you either need to take out 2kg or pay £40. I was like let's try to take stuff out... So I took out my jeans and a few heavier souvenirs. It finally went down to 23 and she let me go. I grabbed the rest of my crap, pulled off to the side, and had to sit on my carry-on suitcase in order for it to squish shut. Kas and I went through security (had no problems there so that was nice) and then found the gate. I had another stress freak out moment at the gate and cried for a bit but then I got a vanilla bean and a dr p and felt better. We got on the plane, Missy helped me shove my carry-on in the holder and then I slept the whole plane ride. We got in to Rome around 11:00. We got off the plane then sat around while Rick figured out our metro tickets and Roma passes. We got on a bus that took us to the metro station that was about an hour, I slept the whole way. We got down to the metro and rode it to our stop. We then had to carry our suitcases for about a 15 minute walk, uphill, to our hotel. We were all dying! We got in the hotel and just all collapsed. They checked us in. I'm rooming with Sam and Kasee. We went up to our room and it's tiny - my bed is right by the door, then Kasee's is a foot away from mine, then Sam's is right by Kasee's by the bathroom. Tiny! We freshened up as much as we could in 15 minutes then headed downstairs and we all headed to the Caracalla Baths. It was really cool - they are like the Roman baths but in actual Rome... Haha it was really cool. They were huge. We walked around for a bit, then lounged around in a park garden thing. We then headed to Circus Maximus, where the ancients Romans would chariot race and stuff. Brandon and missy and Tayler and Stephen did piggy back rides and ran a race to the entertainment of the rest of us. We then walked over to the Mouth of Truth which is in the Audrey Hepburn movie that I cannot remember for the life of me. We didn't get to put our hands inside because there was a huge line and I think it may have cost money. We hung around the statue across the street then headed back to the hotel. We just hung out, showered, got ready, then went down to the hotel lobby for our free dinner. They gave us bread and pasta. I forgot that pasta is like their salad here. Next was a lemon chicken, salad, and fried potatoes. The chicken was yummy, the salad had a nasty oily dressing, and the potatoes were good. Then for dessert they gave us a coconut mousse thingy with sprinkles on it which was actually pretty good! We came upstairs, got ready for bed, and just crashed at like 9:20. I hope everyone's doing well! See you on Friday! Night!

July 11, 2013 - Last Day of Class, Abbey Road, Family Dinner, Talents, and Harry Potter!

Today was a really fun day. I woke up at 9:50, brushed my teeth, then headed downstairs. I worked on putting more pictures in my blog. If you are interested, I have put a lot of pictures that coincide with the blog so if you want to look back on it, go for it. Anyway, everyone in the higher class did their presentations which were awesome. I came upstairs and just chilled in the kitchen, had some breakfast. I took a shower, I cut myself shaving and it hurts - I put a Monster's Inc. bandaid on it and it didn't really help. I got ready then headed down to Nate's class. We really just talked about whatever we wanted to talk about because it was our last class. One of the best things I've ever heard from Nate is: "A text without its reader is like a milkshake (pause) without a yard" we all paused for a second to comprehend what the brilliant man just said, then Lex and I just burst out laughing. It was hilarious. Anyway, I came upstairs and made myself a grilled cheese - I made one last night at like 1:00 in the morning but I burnt it because I wasn't paying attention. Therefore I had to redeem myself. We all met up then headed over to Abbey Road!!! We were all singing Beatles songs on the way, it became a medley because we all had different songs stuck in our heads. We got there and it was hilarious because it is literally just a pedestrian crossing, no stop light or even a stop sign so there were cars coming all the time. We would just dart out into the road, stand there for five seconds then run back haha it was hilarious to watch. I did a picture with Sam (Lennon), Me (Ringo), Kasee (Paul), and Tash (  I wore a black shirt but that's all I did to get into costume. Kas took her shoes off which is really kind of gross but whatever. We did another picture with Sam, Me, Kas, and Shelby. Shelby however looked at the camera and smiled so it was dumb haha we had to redo it.

We got everyone's pictures then everyone split up - Jena, Shelby, and I headed back to South Ken. We stopped at Starbucks and got drinks, Little Waitrose to get food for tonight, then went home. We played around on our computers for a while then started dinner. We just made pasta and bread. It was so freaking hot in the kitchen that I had to pause every five minutes to climb into the fridge/freezer. We got it all figured out and everyone just hung out and ate. It was just a fun night to spend with everyone. I bought a little London notebook that I want everyone to sign. I know it is a little cheesy yearbook thing but I want something to remember everyone by. I started out the notebook with funny quotes we've shared this trip then I have a list of everyone's names then I had people sign it. Everyone started doing it as well - Lora had us all sign a Union Jack flag, a lot of people had us sign tube maps. It was fun but sad because we all realized we are having to say goodbye to London and each other soon. Not that we won't hang out when we get home but it'll be different of course. Plus, Stephen, Tayler, and Brandon are going to Rome early tomorrow morning so it was their last night in London. We all just sat around and talked. We played a game where everyone wrote two crazy facts about themselves and then we all had to guess who's they were. I did I broke my wrist when I was eight years old running into a drinking fountain and I've seen every episode of The Office at least five times. I couldn't really think of anything better. It was really fun to learn new things about each other and just spend time together. Afterwards, we all mostly wanted to hear the boys sing some more but they said that before they sing, we had to share one of our "talents" with the group too. So, us (me, Sam, and Kas) being the idiots that we are, decided to rap and crump for the group. I rapped the "Grab that bottle, twist that cap..." from Outta your Mind by Lil' Jon while the girls were my back-up dancers and singers. We put sweats on and our sunglasses and had our hoods up. I'm pretty sure everyone thought we were idiots but oh well, it was fun! Next Jena did the splits and Tex showed us some of her awesome ballroom dance moves. Mckell sang for us, along with Tash. Then Anna showed us some of her artwork and then Stephen and Brandon sang Yesterday by The Beatles, Hallelujah because we all love it, Stephen sang a song to Tayler which was precious, then Brandon sang some Josh Groban. We said goodbye for two days then I headed downstairs to do laundry. We tried to watch the first Harry Potter but it didn't really work out so we just did Pottermore instead. I did do it yesterday and got sorted into Hufflepuff which isn't a bad thing... but it's not a good thing either haha so I redid it and I was in Ravenclaw this time! So woo! I blogged, and I probably need to go pick up my laundry soon... I hope everyone had a fabulous day! Thanks to all the friends that I've made on this trip. You've helped make it the trip of a lifetime and I truly have made some wonderful friends. Plus you are all so freaking talented it's insane. Love you all! Good night!

July 10, 2013 - British Library, Platform 9 3/4, and a Picnic in Hyde Park with Devil Pigeons

Today was a nice, fun day. I woke up at 9:30 and got ready. I went down to class and worked on adding pictures to my previous blog posts because they are cooler that way. We had a meeting about Rome and then I went upstairs and did my homework for Nate's class, Shelby did my hair (it always looks so much better when she does it), and I grabbed some breakfast. It was Tex's presentation in Legacies. It was interesting because we talked about war and death and I got to share my thoughts on death and hear theirs so it was pretty cool. I came upstairs and made some ravioli then we all headed out to the British Library. Ok I thought this was going to be like a giant library where you can research in the books and stuff. Ya no they had tons of the very first copies of manuscripts and books written by people such as Milton, Jane Austen, Shakespeare, Newton, Wilde, even the freaking Beatles! It was so cool! Also, I have now seen three out of the four (maybe even all four - I can't remember if we saw one in D.C.) of the Magna Cartas! That is so cool! We couldn't get any pictures but I think Jena snuck a few on her phone. It was really really interesting and cool. We went to the gift shop and I got a little book with excerpts from all of Jane Austen's books. We then headed over to King's Cross to see Platform 9 and 3/4!!!

There were some really funny guys there that took pictures and they had scarves and stuff. Unlike last year, they had a line and made it this big thing where as last year, we just walked up and took pictures. We went inside the little store and they had so many fun things!!! I could spend a million dollars in those places, I love me some Har Pot! We went back to the flat. On the way home, we stopped at a cupcake place called the Hummingbird Bakery. I got a caramel chocolate one and a chocolate bottom one (a chocolate and white marbled with cheesecake frosting). Then I went to the Little Waitrose and got some bread, chips, and a drink for our Hyde Park picnic later. We hung out in our room for a bit because it's cooler in there. I got a notebook yesterday and I want everyone to write it in kinda like a yearbook so I can remember everyone. I know it's cheesy but oh well, deal with it. We then all met downstairs and headed to Hyde Park for a picnic. We walked through the park and sat down to eat at the Peter Pan statue. Stephen and Brandon started to feed the pigeons and then after that they wouldn't leave us alone. If you know me at all, I hate everything to do with birds. They got pretty close to eating my bread and I got a little freaked out. After we finished eating, we walked around a bit, took pictures, went to the Italian Gardens, saw a bunch of cute little baby animals and stuff, then over to Kensington Palace then back home. 

I worked on pictures. Lora and I did Pottermore - I am in freaking Hufflepuff! I don't know how I feel about it... We just hung out, had a chill night. I hope everyone is doing well, not missing me too much. I come home in 9 days! So crazy to think about... Night! Love you!